FOXBOROUGH – When it comes to Drake Maye, the expectation, the fingers-crossed hope, is that he’ll make a Year 2 leap.
And, down the road, he will lead the Patriots into their next chapter of greatness.
Listening to veteran center Garrett Bradbury, there doesn’t seem to be much doubt about Maye’s future, and the course ahead.
Bradbury, entering his seventh NFL season, was the latest teammate to throw bouquets the second-year quarterback’s way. He’s another card-carrying member of the Drake Maye fan club.
“I can’t believe how mature he is at such a young age,” Bradbury said Friday. “I spent a lot of time with him this spring. I have to remind myself he’s 22.”
The 30-year-old said Maye was “light years” ahead of where he was as a rookie. Maye, of course, is no longer a rookie, but we’ll let that slide.
“In terms of his approach, his mentality, he doesn’t act like a 22-year-old,” Bradbury went on. “He understands the weight of the position he plays.”
Maye has certainly looked good early in camp. He’s shown a level of comfort and confidence both with the new offense, along with being at the helm from Day 1.
Last year, as a rookie, he deferred to veteran Jacoby Brissett, who was the Patriots starter at the outset before handing the baton to Maye Week 5.
Listening to Bradbury sing his praises, there was a little more weight to it given he’s someone who didn’t know Maye last year.
His impressions are based on the past few months getting to know the young signal-caller.
“He’s always picking my brain,” Bradbury said. “I think everyone knows he has a bright future.”
Asked what he’s seen in a short time to make him feel that way, Bradbury’s answer was telling.
“From a leadership standpoint, the way he’s commanding the huddle, the way he’s calling the team up, getting on guys in the offense, in the right way … like I said, he’s 22,” Bradbury said. “He has a few games under his belt. You can’t go around barking at guys, telling them what to do. So he tows that line perfectly.
“He understands just by the nature of the position, you have a voice. You have control. And so to use that the right way, it’s to get everyone on the same page and we can move things forward.”
Hearing those type of details from Bradbury provides a layer of reassurance and confirmation about Maye, who was taken with the third overall pick last year.
His talent is obvious given his athleticism, his strong arm and mobility.
Bradbury filled in the spaces in between.
“The details in this game matter so much. It’s such a different game in college. You see quarterbacks come in all the time with great arm strength, great mobility. But then come on Sundays, and it’s a different animal,” the former Vikings center said. “He understands that. It’s just coming out and getting the reps in. He needs to feel – ‘Oh, I didn’t see that safety on that play’ – you have to make some mistakes to get better from that.
“But the better we can do our job, the better he can do his job, and we know that.”
The offensive line didn’t do the job very well last year. Maye was constantly running for his life, as was Brissett before him.
Bradbury knows that has to change.
“Whether it’s on the field or off the field, we want to support him,” he said. “We want to help him because this team goes as that position goes.”
Bradbury also knows in Josh McDaniels’ offense, there’s a lot on the quarterback’s plate. There’s pressure on him to make the right calls.
Thus far, Maye has handled everything rather seamlessly.
“He understands the more confidence he has, the more he can show us he knows what’s going on,” Bradbury said. “Whatever he says, ‘Let’s go. Let’s ride,’ we trust him completely.
“Do I want him to be perfect on every call? Ideally yes, but at the same time, if he misses a call, he’s going to grow from that.”
Bradbury said McDaniels’ offense is like nothing he’s ever seen before. But once you get it, once you master it, and understand all the verbiage, it’s a piece of cake.
“All the film we’ve watched from this offense, the glory years, and you see how (Tom) Brady played with such quickness, timing, knew where he was going with it because he mastered the system,” Bradbury said. “You can understand that once you master this system, you have all the answers to the book. And so once he gets that, he’ll be in a good place.”
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